Election preview: Matson, Gearhart seek at-large seat

A candidate who has earned on-the-job training and another who is a longtime business owner will square off in next week’s general election for a seat on the Three Rivers City Commission.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

A candidate who has earned on-the-job training and another who is a longtime business owner will square off in next week’s general election for a seat on the Three Rivers City Commission.The at-large post sought by Larry Matson and Linda Gearhart is for a two-year term. They were the top vote-getters in a three-person primary in August. Gearhart got 99 votes and Matson received 71.Meanwhile, District 1 commissioner Jared Hoffmaster and District 3 commissioner Diane Haley-Clay will run unopposed in their bids for two-year terms.Matson, 69, was appointed to fill a seat left vacant in April 2011, when Ken Baker resigned for health reasons. He was defeated in his November 2011 bid to remain on the commission. With commissioner David York resigning in June because of a move outside the city limits, Matson was again chosen to fill the seat until Tuesday’s election.“It’s nice and an advantage to be familiar with how the meetings are conducted and know how things work in the city,” Matson said.Matson, a Three Rivers resident since 1980, said he understands one person on the commission won’t have a significant impact. In fact, he conceded he wouldn’t come aboard with grand ideas and plans that will provide an immediate benefit to the city.Working well with fellow elected officials, he said, is a key to positive steps and change for the better.“It takes a team player to make things work at this level,” Matson said. “Now, one person can come up with some ideas and propose whatever, but it takes four votes for something to get approved.”Matson, a member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi tribe in Athens, said he fits the role of a team player — an attribute critical to the position of city commissioner.He said the city is fortunate to have a diversity of parks, strong schools and a good sense of community.“I’m not blind, though, to the drugs and the crime,” said Matson, who lives on South Constantine Street.As for Three Rivers’ strengths, Matson cited city manager Joe Bippus, a solid staff of municipal employees and a city commission whose members are in-tune with the community’s needs.He said he likes the idea of serving as a commissioner-at-large.“I know there is a lot of focus on downtown and we have a downtown that we should be proud of,” Matson said. “But that’s only one part of a larger community and we need to make sure other parts of the city aren’t overlooked.”Matson is endorsed by mayoral candidate and incumbent Tom Lowry.Gearhart, 65, is a cosmetologist and hairdresser who has lived in Three Rivers 15 years. She said many of her friends and her granddaughter encouraged her to run for the seat.“In my line of work, I listen to people all day and we have good conversations, and I like the idea of being able to represent the city with the knowledge of what people say and how they feel,” Gearhart said. “I hear a lot of things and it’s not always good, and I’d like to be in a position where I could check into things and find out how much of what I’m hearing is (fabricated) and how much is true.”Gearhart said she works three days a week and, if elected, is committed to the position. She said she is aware there is more to the job than meetings.Gearhart, who lives on Eighth Street, said she has a clear understanding of the dynamics the city’s elected officials work with. Earhart said she lives with her mother, granddaughter and great-granddaughter, providing her a daily dose of dynamics.“I will have a lot to learn, but I also think I would be fair and understanding of things,” she said.Gearhart, who has owned her own business for 25 years, attended Three Rivers High School. She is endorsed by Larry Nichols, who is challenging Lowry.All precincts vote at Riverside Church. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 5.